Homeless...

Well, it's official...we are HOMELESS!  We've moved out of our apartment, and everything we own is now "masterfully" packed into a 5'x10' storage building.  I must applaud Michael and his organizational skills--I honestly wasn't sure how he was going to get it all in there!

This past week has been incredibly difficult and stressful.  Michael and I really struggled with making decisions about what to keep, store, pack, or throw away.  And shockingly, we didn't always agree.  :o)  I believe words such as "hoarder" and "insensitive" were thrown around...LOL  

But we did it.  And we both survived.  

We've also successfully packed and stored 12 of our 14 suitcases (yes, you read that correctly...14!!).  I would like to go on record saying that I could have packed in less (maybe), but that pesky 50 pound weight limit kept giving me a hard time!  I will definitely have to take a picture to post of our airport fiasco.  What a sight I'm sure we will be...

So the countdown begins...6 weeks from today we will be on a plane heading to Korea!  We will be spending the next few weeks living with the BFFs, visiting family, meeting up with friends, relaxing every chance we get, and enjoying our summer.  

One more hurdle cleared...  :o)

"Fear not..."

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."  Isaiah 41:10

I would be lying if I said Michael and I have not received many, many questions lately regarding all of the latest North Korean news.  Most are from well-meaning, loving family and friends who worry for our safety.  Others simply question our sanity.

My only response is...I have no fear.

No, we are not some crazy daredevils, throwing care and caution to the wind.  We are simply trying to be faithful, trusting, and obedient servants.  There is absolutely no doubt in our minds that God has chosen us to go to South Korea.  We have sought and have seen His loving hand and direction every step of the way.

Now it's our turn to simply trust.

I'm often reminded how small and short-sighted we humans are.  Fortunately for us, we serve an amazing God who sees the "BIG PICTURE" and guides us even as we question His wisdom.

So with four short months to go, we carry on.  We continue to pray.  We continue to have faith.

"And behold I am with you always, to the end of the age."  Matthew 28:20

Look Out World...Here We Come!!

Words cannot express the excitement we felt when we finally received our passports in the mail!  Of course, the girls feel they are super cool...not just every kid has their own passport!  We even got the giganto 52-page passports...what fun we are going to have trying to fill all of those pages!

Michael and I received our contract packets in the mail this last week.  Crazy--all the paperwork and documents it takes to apply for a visa!!  I felt like I should throw in a pint of blood or two just to be safe. :o)  Everything got mailed off yesterday, so we are one step closer to our departure.  So unbelievable to think that in six months we will be on a plane to Korea!!

Okay...confession time.  Over the holidays, I spent a lot of time going through our closets.  It took me an entire afternoon and evening to go through all of the girls' clothes.  "Try this on" and "Seriously, you've grown out of that?!" were frequent words out of my mouth.  Grace was especially trying...she's never been too fond of hand-me-downs from Anna.  Anything remotely "girly," "sparkly," or--heaven forbid--PINK was automatically dismissed with an upturned nose.  I'm happy to report that all three girls survived, with very few emotional scars to speak of.  But, I believe I've significantly downsized their clothing, and I know what things I now need to buy. 

Here comes the confession...I was doing great, simplifying, until I came to my own closet.  I went in the closet, armed with a good attitude and a strategic plan.  If I haven't worn in a year, then it's out.  I made great strides...no lie.  But after I cleared out all of the unloved, unworn, and just plain ugly clothes, I was still shocked to realize that my closet was still full.  Michael had informed me a day or two before that we were all allowed two suitcase on the plane.  Easy, I had thought at the time.  But I found myself sitting in my closet, close to tears, falling apart, thinking, "How in the WORLD am I going to fit ALL of this in ONLY TWO SUITCASES??"  And I was utterly ashamed and disgusted with myself at the same time.  Here I had been talking the good talk about not being wrapped up in material things, how easy it would be to just sell/give away all we have and go...and yet, I found myself crying over my earthly possessions.  My clothes.  My shoes.  MY STUFF.  I was reminded how blessed my life is.  How there are people I come in contact with each day that don't have half of what I have.  I was humbled and put in my place.

Michael found me, still sitting there, quite some time later.  He must have taken pity on me, because he told me I could take two additional suitcases--we would simply pay extra-baggage fees.  I can honestly say I felt enormous relief...but I'm still praying and working on my attitude.  And on my obvious obsession with my clothes.  And shoes.  I'm a work in progress.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven...For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  Matthew 6: 19-21

"The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer." Psalms 6:9

For weeks now, Michael and I have been scouring the international teaching posts, emailing the schools that seemed like a great fit.  We've been on that emotional rollercoaster I'm sure you can all relate to...having moments of great faith, relying on God...yet to find ourselves in the low valleys of doubt and frustration only days (and sometimes hours!) later. 

By Wednesday of last week, I had reached one of those low valleys yet again.  At some point during my day, I glanced at a handwritten index card that I keep on my desk at school...verses of encouragement.  This verse stood out:

"The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer." Psalms 6:9

Michael and I had definitely been praying for guidance and for our future, but had I really, truly believed that God would answer that prayer?  This verse and that thought stuck with me all day long.  Three new schools had posts on Wednesday, so I quickly sent off emails before heading to bed.  

I don't usually check my emails in the morning, but Thursday morning I did.  We had received an email from one of the schools I had just emailed the night before, and I excitedly told Michael that they were interested in talking to us via Skype on Thursday evening.  I'm not sure how we made it through the day...nervous, apprehensive, and hopeful, all bundled together.  

We spoke with the Director of Schools and the high school principal in our first ever Skype interview (Michael and I joked to each other that it was the first interview he and I had ever had where it didn't matter if you wore pants...but I assure you we were totally dressed).  :)  Both men were extremely nice and enjoyable to talk to.  They wanted to know about us, our kids, and shared a lot of information about their country.   The Director told us he wanted to speak with our references and would definitely be in touch with us the middle of this week.  We ended the conversation, and Michael and I both agreed that we felt excited and positive about this prospect.  And the waiting began.

Meanwhile, Michael began what Michael does best...find out EVERYTHING possible about this country.  We looked at the school's website, read information about the country, and even read blogs posted by American teachers who had taught there.  Everything we found encouraged us even more.  We prayed that God would lead us where he wanted us, but that also we would have a clear idea when or if the offer presented itself.

Saturday evening my phone rang.  It was the elementary principal, and he wanted to Skype with us that evening.  Cue the nervousness, apprehension, and hopefulness.  Round two.

Sunday afternoon, we received an email from the Director, requesting to Skype Sunday evening.  Round three.  By this point, I gave up on ever eating again.  My stomach was sooo tied up in knots.  I told Michael, "This is it.  There aren't many more things to say or talk about."   I had a feeling that this conversation was it.  Either we'd hear "Thank you, but no thank you" or they would offer us the job. 

As the conversation began, the Director asked if we had any questions about the school or the information that he had sent us.  We did, and as he answered each and every question, things just started clicking into place...and I felt a great peace come over me.  And a great deal of excitement.

Finally, Michael asked the question.  "So what's the next step?"  The Director simply smiled, and replied, "Well, the next step is to ask if you both would like to come work for us."

Michael and I both looked at each other, looked back at the computer screen, and answered "Yes."

Amazingly, even through all of my doubts, fears, and frustrations,  God had answered our prayers.  He had provided our new home.

Beginning August 2013, the Ganus Gang will be moving to Seoul, Korea!